Sounds like you have solved the problem per your second post. I experienced the same thing the first time I loaded .30-06. An experienced guy sorted it out for me. The crimp shoulder on the die was the culprit in terms of crushing the case as I attempted to seat the bullet. The Speer manual has a very good set of instructions concerning this - I simply failed to study the print sufficiently.
What it says to do is run the press up to the top of the stroke (handle all the way down) with the case in the shell holder, then screw down the die until it touches the case neck. It then says to back off the die a couple turns. This will allow the bullet to be seated without interference from the crimping shoulder on the die.

This appears to have been your problem. I seat the bullet a wee bit at a time until I get the desired overall cartridge length.
Good luck!